What Rockstar Games’ Netflix Pact for ‘GTA 6’ Reveal Signals About Hollywood’s Growing Relationship With Gaming

“Grand Theft Auto 6” was already set to make history in the video game world — but now it’s making a hot prerelease spin through Hollywood as well.

On Aug. 27, Netflix will debut an “extended look” at one of the most anticipated games of all time, which has been in development for more than a decade. While the first two “GTA 6” trailers bowed on YouTube and social media platforms, Rockstar Games decided to give Netflix exclusive access to new footage before going wide with the content online six hours later.

With record-breaking success for trailer one (which has reached 288 million views on YouTube since its release in December 2023) and trailer two (176 million views since it dropped in May 2025), the Netflix partnership likely wouldn’t have been necessary to draw the same massive crowd for the third. But Take-Two Interactive’s Rockstar chose to team with the streamer for a reason beyond its very large audience: to signal to the larger entertainment industry that “GTA 6” (which has already reached “unprecedented” sales since opening pre-orders June 25) is a major entertainment tentpole, not just a video game.

“I think that that’s a pretty brilliant way to look at it,” Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick tells Variety, when asked if that was the motivation for Rockstar’s “extended look” deal with Netflix.

However, Netflix’s subscriber count certainly isn’t a non-factor here: “Last time I checked, I think Netflix had 200 million subscribers,” Zelnick says. “I’m guessing all 200 million of them are going to be watching.” (Actually, Netflix said it surpassed 325 million subscribers as of the end of 2025.)

Hollywood has had its eye on the gaming industry for several years now, looking to mine top games IP like “The Last of Us,” “Super Mario,” “Fallout,” “Minecraft” and more for all they’re worth. But one key difference between those titles and “GTA 6” is the level of hype here isn’t for a “GTA” adaptation, it’s simply for the game itself.

Netflix isn’t streaming the world premiere for a TV show or movie trailer here, it’s streaming a behind-the-scenes look at a video game it didn’t develop, isn’t publishing and really has nothing to do with.

Both Take-Two and Netflix declined to comment on any financial terms of the deal, but sources tell Variety Netflix pursued the opportunity because, like with its entrance into sports, it wants to be part of “big cultural moments” overall. And “GTA 6” is certainly set to be a big one, with analysts predicting the game will reach $3.3 billion to $5.2 billion in global sales during its first week. To put that in perspective, that’s at least three times the impressive first week box office for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

“‘Grand Theft Auto’ reveals have become cultural moments in their own right,” Netflix’s VP of nonfiction series Brandon Riegg said in the Thursday announcement. “The anticipation and fandom around ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ is unprecedented, and we’re honored that Rockstar Games has partnered with us to debut the next part of the ‘Grand Theft Auto story’ with Netflix members first. It’s a reflection of what we hope Netflix is becoming: a place where the most ambitious storytelling, from any medium, can find the biggest possible audience.”

Note that Netflix didn’t have its head of gaming, Alain Tascan, provide the quote there — it chose the head of its unscripted TV division.

What an “extended first look” actually means is being closely guarded by Netflix and Rockstar until the special launches on Netflix at 3 p.m. ET on Aug. 27 (followed by its YouTube and social release at 9 p.m. ET). But it will mark the start of a larger marketing campaign for “GTA 6” ahead of its Nov. 19 launch.

“This is a first of its kind partnership with Netflix,” Zelnick told analysts during an earnings call Friday. “They’re a great marketing partner for us and distribution partner, as you know. We also work with virtually every social media outlet on Earth. This is part of Rockstar Games’ marketing strategy. We’re excited for everyone to see an extended look of ‘Grand Theft Auto 6.’ I’m not prepared to tell you how it’s going to go, but I feel really good about it. And of course, six hours after the initial launch on Netflix, it will be available on Rockstar Games’ channel on YouTube, and I think ultimately many other outlets.”

Netflix has a history of partnering with Take-Two, with it previously having held the license to the “GTA” mobile games and a current pact on “WWE 2K.” With Netflix expanding more into gaming every month, Zelnick says he’s looking at additional opportunities to work with the streamer beyond just mobile titles.

“I do hope we’ll continue to do business with Netflix,” Zelnick tells Variety. “They’ve been great partners and I think there are a lot of opportunities across both our console and PC and mobile portfolios.”

But Zelnick doesn’t want to limit the brand to just Netflix deals.

“While this particular partnership is groundbreaking and unique, Rockstar has licensed content to Netflix before, as has the rest of Take-Two,” Zelnick said on the earnings call. “We have a close partnership with Netflix, and they are in the video game business, and we’re very happy to be their partner. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of things that we can do with Netflix and any other outlets in the future. We want to be ubiquitous. We want to be where our customers are. We have, we believe, the best and biggest collection of owned intellectual property in the interactive entertainment business. And wherever you are, when you wake up, if you want to engage with our content, we want you to be able to do so.”